Waste is something we all make every day but often pay little attention to. That's changing, and model programs around the globe show the many different ways a community can strive for, and achieve, zero-waste status.

Scientist-turned-activist Paul Connett, a leading international figure in decades-long battles to fight pollution, has championed efforts to curtail overconsumption and keep industrial toxins out of our air and drinking water and bodies. But he’s best known around the world for leading efforts to help communities deal with their waste in sustainable ways—in other words, to eliminate and reuse waste rather than burn it or stow it away in landfills.

In The Zero Waste Solution, Connett profiles the most successful zero-waste initiatives around the world, showing activists, planners, and entrepreneurs how to re-envision their community’s waste-handling process—by consuming less, turning organic waste into compost, recycling, reusing other waste, demanding nonwasteful product design, and creating jobs and bringing community members together in the process. The book also exposes the greenwashing behind renewed efforts to promote waste incinerators as safe, nontoxic energy suppliers, and gives detailed information on how communities can battle incineration projects that, even at their best, emit dangerous particles into the atmosphere, many of which remain unregulated or poorly regulated.

An important toolkit for anyone interested in creating sustainable communities, generating secure local jobs, and keeping toxic alternatives at bay.

REVIEWS AND PRAISE

Library Journal-

"This is both a handbook for and history of the zero waste movement worldwide. Connett became involved in the movement in 1985 when an incinerator—and its poisonous dioxin emissions—was slated for construction near his community. He has been a major player ever since. This text has three parts: an overview of zero waste’s history, philosophy, and practical steps; examples of initiatives worldwide; and essays by prominent activists. Connett castigates burn-and-bury (i.e., incinerators and landfills) as wasteful, expensive, and deleterious to health and presents factual backup. To “reduce, reuse, recycle” he adds “redesign” to limit the flood of disposable goods. Connett advocates that businesses take responsibility for disposal of goods not easily recycled. San Francisco’s zero waste prominence is no surprise, but Italy’s is eye-opening. The author offers plenty of paths to zero waste, from donkeys providing recycling transport in Italian hill towns to econometric analysis in Seattle. VERDICT Community organizers, environmentalists, and environmental studies students will all benefit from this work … . The book also includes a rich list of resources for further study."

"Connett's book correctly illuminates the essential nature of citizen-led movements for true zero-waste solutions to transform society. Using Connett's methods, The It's Not Garbage Coalition in Nova Scotia stopped a string of imported garbage incinerators, a PCB incinerator, a medical waste incinerator, a massive MSW incinerator, and a sewage sludge incinerator.By 1994 we had a province-wide ban on incineration and a citizen-designed, world-leading system aimed toward zero waste. With the wisdom in this book, you can achieve results like this too!"--David Wimberly, co-chair, The It's Not Garbage Coalition

“Paul Connett is one of the few people I know who can make waste interesting. In this book, he glides you through the diverse world of garbage and guides you to the many, ready, efficient, and safe solutions that don't involve you breathing in the toxics of the incinerator industry.”--Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and author, The Seventeen Solutions

“This would have been the book to have when we first began fighting the incinerator proposal in our region of Ontario. It’s full of relevant, factual information and suggests specific questions to pose to decision makers and regulators. It also demonstrates that a sustainable zero-waste strategy is achievable, and far more preferable than society’s current focus on waste disposal.”--Kerry Meydam and Wendy Bracken, Durham Environment Watch, and Louis Bertrand and LindaGasser, Zero Waste 4 Zero Burning, Ontario

"Connett's book should inspire everyone personally, citizens' groups, and all levels of government to reduce waste—an insidious problem engulfing the world."--Theo Colborn, president, TEDX (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange); professor emeritus, University of Florida; honorary professor of science, University of Colorado; and lead author of Our Stolen Future

"In this era of mounting environmental problems, we need more spotlights on solutions—not theoretical ones, but real, on-the-ground ones we can start implementing in our communities today.The Zero Waste Solution is just what the doctor ordered! Packed with inspiring case studies and helpful guidance, Connett's book lays out a roadmap of how to turn our wasteful consumer lifestyle into one of sustainability and health. Read this book and join the movement for real solutions!"--Annie Leonard, author, The Story of Stuff

"The Zero Waste Solution is for all those concerned about humanity's health and environment. Essential reading for anyone fighting landfills, incineration, overpackaging, and the other byproducts of our unthinking and irresponsible throwaway society."--Jeremy Irons, actor; executive producer of Trashed

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Connett

Dr. Paul Connett, a retired professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at St. Lawrence University, has given more than 2,000 presentations in forty-nine states and fifty-two countries on the issue of waste management. He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Cambridge and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. He lives in Canton, New York.

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ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR

When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, there was little evidence of its safety. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, more than 70 percent of Americans, as well as 200 million people worldwide, are drinking fluoridated water. The Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to promote it--and even mandatory statewide water fluoridation--despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but potentially hazardous to human health.

In this timely and important book, Dr. Paul Connett, Dr. James Beck, and Dr. H. Spedding Micklem take a new look at the science behind water fluoridation and argue that just because the dental and medical establishments endorse a public health measure doesn't mean it's safe. In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals that go into the drinking water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not even pharmaceutical grade, but rather a hazardous waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry. It is illegal to dump this waste into the sea or local surface water, and yet it is allowed in our drinking water. To make matters worse, this program receives no oversight from the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency takes no responsibility for the practice. And from an ethical standpoint, say the authors, water fluoridation is a bad medical practice: individuals are being forced to take medication without their informed consent, there is no control over the dose, and no monitoring of possible side effects.

At once painstakingly documented and also highly readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and endocrine system, and argues that the evidence that fluoridation reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak.

Never-before-seen evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the U.S. population, especially among children. Gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, inflammatory diseases, and infertility are just some of the problems identified in humans, pets. livestock, and lab animals that eat genetically modified soybeans and corn.

Monsanto's strong-arm tactics, the FDA's fraudulent policies, and how the USDA ignores a growing health emergency are also laid bare. This sometimes shocking film may change your diet, help you protect your family, and accelerate the consumer tipping point against genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A film not to be missed.

Also includes the bonus DVD Seeds of Freedom (28 min.) narrated by Jeremy Irons, and produced by the Gaia Foundation and African Biodiversity Network. This landmark film shows how the story of seed at the hands of multinationals has become one of loss, control, dependence, and debt. Also: two talks by Jeffrey M. Smith and twelve public-service announcements.

Guernsey Zero Waste Presentation - Part 1

Paul Connett on Natural News TV

Cats on Fluoride

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